Climbing plants for walls and fences

Climbers are a versatile group of plants - use climbing plants to cover fences, walls, trellis, arches or obelisks! You can also train certain shrubs as ‘wall shrubs’ for the same effect. Climbers are great for screening unsightly areas of the garden, brightening up bare walls and adding height to your borders. We’ve put together a list of climbing plants for shade and sun so whatever surface you’re trying to cover you will find something suitable here!

Supporting climbing plants

Some climbers such as Ivy and Virginia creeper will cling to surfaces naturally via aerial roots but twining climbers such as Honeysuckle and Clematis will need a framework to scramble over. Wall shrubs don’t climb naturally and will need training and tying in to a support.

All climbing plants will need some training initially. When planting your new climber or shrub, make sure you plant it 30-45cm away from the base of a wall or fence so the rain can reach the roots of the plant. Use a series of horizontal or vertical wires, or a trellis attached to the wall to provide support for your climbing plants. Tie in new shoots with soft garden twine. Garden structures for climbing plants need to be strong and secure as plants can become very heavy with age.

Climbing plants for containers

Both annual and perennial climbing plants can be grown in a container. Good annual climbing plants include Sweet peas , Black-eyed Susan , Morning Glory and Nasturtiums . Perennial climbing plants generally become fairly large as they mature so need careful training when grown in a container. For suitable climbing plants for patios take a look at the tables below. For further cultivation advice about growing your climber in a container refer to the individual product pages.

Climbing plants for east-facing and north-facing walls

North-facing walls are sunless and cold places creating less-than-ideal growing conditions. However there are a number of plants able to cope with these conditions well. East-facing walls can also be quite cold as they only receive morning sunlight; however this extra sunlight allows you to grow a wider choice of plants. Take care when choosing plants for east-facing walls as the early morning sunlight in the winter and spring can cause damage to frozen buds and leaves. Rapid thawing of the buds and leaves can cause cell damage resulting in browning or withering. Evergreen climbing plants and shrubs such as Camellias are particularly susceptible to this.

Climbing plants for south and west-facing walls

In contrast to North-facing walls, South and west-facing walls are warm and bright. A south-facing wall will absorb the heat of the sun throughout the day and retain it through the night making these ideal locations for less hardy plants such as Ceanothus (Californian Lilac), Abutilon and Passion flower. Winter-flowering climbing plants, and wall shrubs such as Silk-tassel bush (Garrya) and Wintersweet (Chimonanthus), will also benefit from the warmth early in the year and will flower more freely against a south or west-facing wall. Why not try growing fruit against a sunny wall for a spectacular show of spring blossom and fresh home-grown produce straight from your garden! Fruit trees can be trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to save space.

As the soil is prone to drying out in these hot locations ensure you dig in plenty of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost before planting. Mulching with organic matter or pebbles will also help to conserve moisture during the summer.

Written by: Sue Sanderson

Plants and gardens have always been a big part of my life. I can remember helping my Dad to prick out seedlings, even before I could see over the top of the potting bench. As an adult, I trained at Writtle College where I received my degree, BSc. (Hons) Horticulture. After working in a specialist plantsman's nursery, and later, as a consulting arboriculturalist, I joined Thompson & Morgan in 2008. Initially looking after the grounds and coordinating the plant trials, I now support the web team offering horticultural advice online.